Gary Neville hails Arteta for benching Partey against Newcastle

Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville has hailed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's decision to bench midfielder, Thomas Party in their 2-0 win against Newcastle United.

Partey who has been a key member of the Arsenal set-up all season lost his place in the middle of the park to midfielder Jorginho.

The decision of Arteta to sideline Partey has raised mixed reactions among fans.

“I thought they might get eaten alive [on Sunday vs Newcastle]. The atmosphere was ferocious. Arsenal grew up here a lot," he told Sky Sports.

“Mikel Arteta deserves a lot of credit for picking Jorginho. Many would have said get Thomas Partey back in there. The class Martin Odegaard showed in the first 30 minutes was outstanding.

“Jorginho composed his team-mates and guided them. (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Bukayo) Saka are still not at their best but the composure from Odegaard and Jorginho was there for all to see.

“The reason why Manchester United players and Pep Guardiola have said Paul Scholes is their favourite player was because in moments in the hardest atmosphere in a difficult away game those players are unique.

“They have the composure, the balance to get the team playing. That's what Jorginho reminded me of - he was fantastic.”